being a cabinet maker, I would go real wood, it's no heavier than MDF covered with simulated wood vinyl paper or laminate. It looks much nicer too, just have to forget about using 3/4" plywood or weight will add up real quick.

That was kind of where I was going with it, I didn't want to add a bunch of weight, and yes real wood cabinetry always looks better. Any type of wood you would recommend, something with a lighter colored finish?
I've never built cabinet boxes before so this will be an interesting test for me.

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Oak is easy to get at your big box stores and looks nice just cleared. Menards has a few different spieces of lumber but, matching plywood might pose a problem from them. You can buy drawer boxes un assembled and put them together and clear them. This can save some dollars too

Getting way ahead of myself here talking about furniture. So when I hooked up the battery via cables to my 4 Runner, things lit up and I could engage the starter albeit weakly. Last night I stuck in a new battery and with the key in the ON position suddenly there was a buzz-clicking sound like an electrical short on the engine. Turning the key to start shut down all the electrics. I pulled apart and reset my negative lead ground, no improvement. There is what looks like a solenoid on the rear of the left engine cover, wired to the glow plugs from which the short sound is coming. Upon separating it from the harness, the buzz-click went away so that'll be the next thing to identify and replace. It was getting too dark and dinner was on so I locked it all back down and will go at it again tonight.
Oh yeah, and apparently there are three batteries, two engine and one house. There's only one battery in the engine bay, the other is beneath the drivers floorboard. That'll be fun dropping and lifting back into position.

Well I logged in to a diesel forum and have already made some headway. Turns out the buzzing "thing" is the glow plug solenoid, and it is buzzing because the 2nd engine battery is as dead as the 1st one I replaced. Not enough amps to get her going and charge the glugs, so I get to go buy another $130 battery, and I haven't even gotten in to the house electrical stuff yet. But I like to learn and I have always wanted to learn about diesel engines, those ads on late night TV and during NASCAR races make it sound like a glamourous new career.

As I’m sure you realize, the $$$ bleeding has just begun. In fact if you’re like me you’ll bleed a lot of red blood along with the green. Just keep telling yourself how lucky you are that you’re not paying someone else to do the work. That’d turn simple bleeding into hemorrhaging!

As Iím sure you realize, the $$$ bleeding has just begun. In fact if youíre like me youíll bleed a lot of red blood along with the green. Just keep telling yourself how lucky you are that youíre not paying someone else to do the work. Thatíd turn simple bleeding into hemorrhaging!

FWIW the rig has great potential!

Steve

I've brought enough old bikes and cars back from the dead, so yeah I know about the financial and literal bloodletting. My daughter, well she has never tackled anything like this before and is getting discouraged at every turn so half of my effort is in keeping her motivated, but she is getting elbow deep into so even though we haven't started on the "progress" part yet, I think she still has faith.

Looks like an awesome project and well worth saving! Can't wait to see more updates and progress pictures. Bringing these older rigs back from the brink is very rewarding and can be challenging at times. Keep up the solid work!

It looks like it was once very nice for a van rv. Sad to see it in the state it's in now. I would guess the missing bits were sold off before it was junked. I would have passed on it honestly but I hope you can get it back into shape.

Well the windshield is replaced, we should haul it back to the house by this weekend.

Does anyone know where to get parts numbers for the Chevrolet part of this machine? In motorcycle restoration, I can usually find a parts book which lists all of the OEM parts by part number and individual assembly diagrams. Seems like this is not the case for vans? Among other things I need a replacement hood along with some parts for the van and chassis and I have learned through my bike projects that buying a part from a year earlier or later does not necessarily fit the year that I have. Obviously a junkyard is going to be my best bet to actually get the parts, but by having the P/N I can verify if the same part crosses over years and make searching a little easier.

Well I hooked up the 2nd battery, poured in some fresh diesel and with a couple of chugs it fired right up! Took it for a spin around the neighborhood, transmission shifts ok, once it ran for a little bit the idle settled down and the puffs of white smoke in the exhaust cleared out and went away. Unfortunately the battery is only reading 12.75v at idle, and upon shutting it off it won't restart without a jump so something not right in the charging system. But hey, I got to drive it, so I no longer have to tow it everywhere it needs to go.

That's awesome news! Gotta love the first time you actually get behind the wheel and she moves under her own power. Hopefully your charging issue is something easy like an alternator. Keep up the great work.

What a cool class B, and will be fun to see you bring it back to life! Does this have the 6.5 GM diesel? Turbo? I think you will find that the GMC/Chevy van stuff will cross over, but being a diesel, might make locating some parts harder to find. But I think the body parts will interchange ok. Good Luck! Rail!

What a cool class B, and will be fun to see you bring it back to life! Does this have the 6.5 GM diesel? Turbo? I think you will find that the GMC/Chevy van stuff will cross over, but being a diesel, might make locating some parts harder to find. But I think the body parts will interchange ok. Good Luck! Rail!

Its actually a 6.2L Detroit Diesel V8, pretty common on suburbans and trucks in the 80's and 90's until the Duramax was developed. Non-turbo, but I don't need to learn about turbos on this project. And apparently build before serpentine belts, as there are three belts to contend with (AC, power steering, generator). In other good news after all that idling the engine temp never even got up to the halfway mark so the engine cooling system works, and nothing leaks so that's huge. But yes pretty much everything from the cab forward is basic 83 Chevy van, so Rockauto and my local AZ can supply pretty much everything to get it running safe.